Working in Solidarity with Advocates Around the Globe
Around the world, LGBTQ+ elders experience rampant human rights violations based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and the stigma of ageism. While the specifics of LGBTQ+ aging vary from country to country and region to region, older members of LGBTQ+ communities commonly face widespread discrimination in care, services, and housing, and are at acute risk for severe social isolation and economic insecurity.
Rooted in SAGE’s overarching commitment to improving the quality of life of LGBTQ+ older adults, both within the United States and around the globe, SAGE’s main objectives for international work are:
1. To elevate network-building and information sharing among and between LGBTQ+ aging advocates around the world.
2. To enhance the capacity of global LGBTQ+ aging organizations and advocates by providing capacity-building and strategic assistance to support their efforts to serve and advocate with and on behalf of LGBTQ+ older adults in their countries and communities.
3. To ensure the concerns of LGBTQ+ older adults are considered and represented in key international convenings and discussions around human rights.
The LGBTI Elders Advancing Initiative
Created in partnership with OutRight International, Mitini Nepal, EnGendeRights, CIPAC, and grassroots organizers in El Salvador, the LGBTI Elders Advancing Initiative is expanding human rights protections and social and economic inclusion around the globe with a particular focus on older lesbians, transgender, gender non-binary, and intersex people.
With elder-driven strategies at its core, SAGE is supporting LGBTI older people in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nepal, and the Philippines by:
1. Cultivating country-based data collection, documentation, and publications on the experiences and needs of LGBTI elders
2. Supporting civil society organizations that serve and empower LGBTI elders
3. Advocating for national policy reform agendas that prioritize LGBTI discrimination protections and health equity
Other Key Initiatives
SAGE believes strongly in a flexible partnership model and seeks to collaborate cross-culturally with grassroots civil society organizations, independent advocates, passionate professionals, and governmental bodies. Some common ways SAGE partners with others on the international stage are:
SAGE’s staff work hard to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ elders and the unique experiences they face while aging through conferences, panels, podcasts, and more. SAGE’s Director of International Programs, Hannah Yore, shared testimony in front of the United Nations General Assembly on the state of LGBTQ+ older adults, globally. SAGE was also proud to organize and present sessions during Conferences hosted by organizations such as the International Federation on Ageing, and The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association ·of Latin American and the Caribbean.
If you are looking for individuals to discuss the intersection of LGBTQ+ rights and aging, reach out!
The Williams Institute and SAGE’s Global LGBTQI+ Aging Seed Grants Program is designed to encourage new empirical research and data collection on LGBTIQ+ older people in low- and middle-income countries. The program also aims to strengthen the capacity of researchers from these countries to conduct rigorous, impactful research on issues impacting LGBTI older adults through networking, knowledge exchange, and mentorship when needed. In 2024, SAGE welcomed our second cohort of grantees conducting research in Mexico, Uganda and Serbia.
Experts on staff are also always open to contributing to or co-authoring exciting new publications and supporting or facilitating research and data collection on topics related to LGBTQ+ aging. Check out the chapter on LGBTQ+ aging that Michael Adams, SAGE’s CEO, wrote in the Brazilian Anthology Introdução às velhices LGBTI “Introduction to LGBTI Aging Diversity.”
Share and access information, resources, research, and technical assistance regarding global LGBTIQ+ aging with other organizers, advocates, and community members from around the world! Visit the Global LGBTIQ+ Aging Network website to access and/or contribute to a directory of international advocates and a resource library on topics related to global LGBTQ+ aging.
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Our LGBTI elders have shared that being part of this initiative has encouraged them to build more social support networks and start speaking openly about their shared experiences of aging. Not only are our older adults growing in their ability to advocate for their own needs, but they are also building friendship, solidarity and trust among their peers.
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We at SAGE honor the legacy of LGBTQ+ older adults around the world who, despite facing generations of grave injustice at the hands of both their own governments and wider society, have made and continue to make meaningful contributions to our communities as the pioneers in movements for justice
Director of International Programs
